Lithuania proposes delivering Ukrainian grain to Klaipeda port via Nieman River

MOSCOW. Aug 11 (Interfax) - The Lithuanian maritime cluster, which brings together the country's maritime businesses and science organizations, has proposed transporting Ukrainian grain to the Klaipeda port using the Nieman River, Ukrainian media said, citing the delfi.lt media outlet.

The Lithuanian maritime cluster together with its founders and members - Klaipeda stevedoring company Bega and Vakaru laivu gamykla - in cooperation with the Inland Waterways Authority and Klaipeda University prepared a project, titled "Energy Connectivity for the Green Port", in 2021, the media outlet said.

Its goal is to promote cargo transportation via inland waterways, expand the range of services offered by the Klaipeda port and to improve their availability, also reducing CO2 emissions when transporting cargo between Lithuania's regions and the Klaipeda seaport.

"When transporting Ukrainian grain by rail and reloading it in Kaunas, it would be necessary to change the track or transfer containers from one train to another instead of doing that twice - this would have a significant impact on cost saving. Linas Agro's grain storage and transshipment capacities, which are already operating at the Nieman quays in Kaunas and Jurbarkas, could be improved," head of the Bega company Laimonas Rimkus said.

Cargo transportation by inland waterways could be 30%-40% cheaper than by land, he added.

The construction of a European railway line to Klaipeda is a strategic objective and will take time, Rimkus said. If Lithuania included its internal waterways in the transport network already today, the country could receive not only Ukrainian grain, which is transported via the Nieman, but also other shipments, he said.

"Opening up the opportunity to transship cargo from railcars and containers in Kaunas and continue to transport cargo by river to Klaipeda will increase the appeal of our port on the market of south-eastern Poland. By developing the waterway, which makes the sea route for transporting cargo from Klaipeda to this region in the neighboring country about 100 km shorter, we would become an alternative to the ports of Gdansk and Gdynia," Rimkus said.

Lithuania is undertaking efforts to revive cargo transport operations using the country's largest river, the media outlet said.